Oct.14,2019 -- In Tibet, which has a long paper-making history, Jindong Tibetan paper enjoys a good reputation, with its Tibetan name pronounced as “Jinxiu”.

 

Jindong paper is made from Daphne bholua, a poisonous plant which is grown along the Jindong river,a tributary of the Yarlung Zangbo River,in Jindong town, southeast Tibet’s Nyingchi city. 

 

In old Tibet, Jindong town had the largest government-sponsored paper-making workshop that produced paper for documents and scriptures. Due to a variety of factors such as high cost, low efficiency and outdated technology, Jindong paper-makinghad been on the verge of extinction.

 

In order to revive the ancient paper-making technique, the local government has invested a total of 1.45 million yuan in this craftsmanship.In 2010, the local government reopened the JinDong Tibetan Papermaking workshop, covering an area of 1,500 square meters.

 

In 2013, Jindong papermaking was listed as a regional-level intangible cultural heritage within heritors LaJi and JiaLi recognized.

 

Long-lasting and resilient, Jindong paper is also light, flexible, elastic, smooth and not easy to be dyed by ink. “As an experiment, we wrote something on the paper and submerged it in water for a night. It turns outthe ink never disintegrates,” saidJiaLi.

 

The local government of Lang County has not only focused on reviving the traditional sills but also paid attention to training new inheritors. In recent years, JiaLi has trained two students, 25-year-old Dan Zeng Wang Dui and 21-year-old Zhuo Ma Yang Jin, who are applying for county-level inheritors.